Married By Midnight(17)
He finished his coffee and stood. “As a matter of fact, I do have questions. Is he here now?”
“Yes, I asked him to wait in the library.”
Garrett followed his mother out of the breakfast room and walked with her along the east wing corridor and down the red-carpeted stairs. The double doors to the library were closed, but his mother pulled them open and led the way in.
“Garrett, this is Dr. Thomas. He has been coming all the way from London twice a week since the spring to tend to the duke. Dr. Thomas, this is my son, Lord Garrett.”
The doctor—a handsome older gentleman with gold-rimmed spectacles—bowed to him. “It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord. I understand you have been abroad and only recently returned?”
“Yes, that’s quite right,” Garrett replied, taking note of the fact that his mother was quietly backing out of the room and pulling the double doors closed behind her. “I’ve been living in Greece for a number of years.”
“But you have come home to marry your beloved. I had the honor of meeting Lady Anne a few minutes ago when I arrived. She is stunning. Congratulations to you both.”
Garrett nodded at the compliment and invited the doctor to sit down in one of two wing-backed chairs that faced each other in front of the unlit fire.
“You have been seeing my father since the spring?” Garrett said.
“Yes. When your brother, Lord Hawthorne, returned from America and learned of your father’s condition and the odd circumstances of his will, he hoped a diagnosis of some mental incapacity might render the will null and void, but sadly he had been deemed perfectly sane at the time the will was drawn up, so there was no hope of negating it. Though I believe the lawyers are still looking into it.
“From what the duchess tells me,” he continued, “I understand you and your three brothers have done what you must to secure the fortune either way. You are the last one to marry and the requirements of the will shall be satisfied. Once that is settled it is more a simple matter of proper medical care...ensuring your father is comfortable and safe in the final years of his life.”
Garrett crossed one leg over the other. “What is the life expectancy in such cases?”
Dr. Thomas gave him a reassuring look. “It’s difficult to say. The good news is that your father is extremely healthy in every other way. His heart is strong and he is incredibly resilient. I don’t see any reason to be concerned that his days are numbered.”
“I see. That is good news.” Garrett glanced toward the bright windows and tapped a finger on the armrest.
“There is something else you wish to ask me?” Dr. Thomas said. "Please, Lord Garrett, rest assured that anything we discuss today will be kept in the strictest confidence. If there is something you wish to know about your father’s mental capacities, do not hesitate to ask.”
Garrett met the doctor’s gaze and understood why his mother had retained his services. There was something very capable and trustworthy about this man. And there was something else, but he wasn’t quite sure what...
“Can an illness such as this cause the patient to forget the past, or is it possible my father has changed in his old age and become more...?” He wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it. “Could he become kinder or more generous and forgiving? Because he is not the same man he was when I left here. I will be honest with you, Dr. Thomas. He always treated me with disdain and sometimes cruelty. Now he acts as if I am his beloved prodigal son. I don’t understand and I do not know what to believe. Does he remember who I am?”
Dr. Thomas stared at him for a long moment, then sat forward. “I am sorry to hear that he was not the sort of father you deserved, but I will be frank with you. I do believe that a man can change at any stage in his life. Wisdom and experience will often motivate such a transformation. As far as your father’s memory goes—he does forget things, his short-term memory is especially faulty, but he does know that you are his son.
“He has asked about you often over the past few months and has wanted you to come home. At the same time, he is delusional about this curse and the ghosts he sees at night. My advice is that you make the most of these final years and try to find a way to forgive him for his mistakes in the past. Enjoy the man he is now. If he wants to treat you like his beloved son, then let him, and after he’s gone remember these times together. It might give you some peace of mind later on.”
Peace. It was something Garrett could not even begin to fathom, for his head was swimming in regret for his own actions in Greece, not so much those of his father’s years ago.